§ MR. BIGGARasked Mr. Attorney General for Ireland for the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant, Whether Charles O'Beirne has been in prison since 3rd June; whether he did not promise to investigate each case at the end of each three months; whether the charge is suspicion of the prisoner having caused a threatening notice to be delivered to some person: whether prisoner has been offered his discharge if he will sign a declaration not to again break the Law, he having always declared he was innocent of the charge for which he is now imprisoned; whether, in case he infringed the Law for the future, he would have an equally good remedy against the prisoner without, as with, the declaration asked for; and, whether, taking all the circumstances of the case into account, he will order the immediate discharge of Mr. O'Beirne?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. W. M. JOHNSON)Charles O'Beirne has been detained since the 3rd of June, 1881; and his case, as well as the case of every other person so detained, has been examined at the end of each period of three months. The cause of his detention is—as stated in the list submitted to Parliament on the 7th instant—that he was reasonably suspected of causing to be delivered a threatening message requiring persons to desist from following their lawful occupations. Mrs. O'Beirne having preferred her memorial to the Lord Lieutenant representing that she was in delicate health and unable to attend to the business, His Excellency was pleased on the 1lth instant to order that O'Beirne should be discharged on parole on his signing a promise to be of good behaviour and not to engage in the Land League agitation while at large. Mr. O'Beirne refused to give any such undertaking, which, however, would not 1365 have implied any admission on his part of the charge on which he is detained. Unless such undertaking is given the Chief Secretary is unable to advise His Excellency to order Mr. O'Beirne's discharge at present.